The world of sport has seen many father and son duos create their own legacies over the years. From Peter and Kasper Schmeichel winning Premier League titles in football to Bobby and Brett Hull both having hall of fame careers in the NHL, sometimes greatness does just run in the family. Basketball star LeBron James and his son Bronny joined the list of father and son history makers as the first father-son duo to share the court in an NBA game in October last year. But who have been the father and son pairings that have enjoyed the most success in darts? Here are some of the best father-son duos to grace the oche over the years... Colin Monk and Arron Monk Hampshire’s Colin Monk and Arron Monk are the first father and son darting duo to appear on our list. Most of Colin’s success came during the 1990s, winning the BDO World Masters in 1996 along with several big open titles such as the British Open, Denmark Open and German Open. ‘Mad Monk’ also won the British Internationals five years in a row as part of England’s dominant men’s team. Dad Colin qualified for the Lakeside for 11 consecutive years from 1994 to 2004, with his best run being a pair of semi-finals in 1998 and 2002. He would make the switch over to the PDC full-time following the last of his Lakeside appearances and would be joined on the tour by his son Arron a few years later. In 2010, the Monks made history as the first father and son to play in the same PDC major tournament when they both qualified for the UK Open. The pair would both play in the UK Open again the following year, by which point son Arron had wrote his name in the record books as the inaugural winner of the PDC World Youth Championship. Arron followed in his dad’s footsteps by qualifying for the PDC World Darts Championship in 2011/12, with three further appearances at Alexandra Palace coming in 2012/13, 2013/14 and 2019/20. Colin dropped off the PDC tour at the end of 2011, while his son Arron most recently held a PDC tour card for two years from 2023 to 2024. Vic Hubbard and James Hubbard Norfolk’s Vic Hubbard and James Hubbard both made their mark on the oche during their own careers in the game. Dad Vic competed in the very first World Championship to take place at the Lakeside in 1986, winning on debut against the American Tony Payne before losing to the legendary Jocky Wilson in the last 16. Vic tasted success whilst representing England, lifting the British Internationals men’s team title twice in 1985 and 1986 as part of an English side that also included all-time greats such as Eric Bristow and John Lowe. Vic competed in the first four editions of the UK Open from 2003 to 2006, and played in various open events on the PDC circuit during the early 2000s. Son James emulated his father Vic when he joined the PDC tour in 2012, earning a tour card after winning through to the final of the 2012 PDC World Youth Championship. James defeated Michael van Gerwen in the final, which was held at The O2 in London, to become just the second name on the PDC’s world youth trophy. James would go on to play in some of the PDC’s flagship tournaments, such as the World Championship, World Matchplay and Grand Slam of Darts. Son James would lose his tour card status at the end of 2015 and, after several unsuccessful trips to Q-School, would take a break from darts before returning to the sport with an appearance at the MODUS Super Series in 2024. Bobby George and Richie George Bobby George did not pick up a dart for the first time until he was 30 years old. Less than four years later, the ‘King of Bling’ was getting his hands on one of the most prestigious trophies in darts – the News of the World Championship. Regarded now as one of the biggest characters in the world of darts, Bobby’s playing career saw him reach two BDO World Championship finals, in 1980 and 1994, and win countless titles, including the News of the World in 1979 and 1986. The first of Bobby’s News of the World titles was particularly memorable, as he won the tournament, which is played over the best of three legs format, without losing a single leg. Bobby became one of the first celebrities from the darts world, making various television appearances and since the late 1990s has been a popular darts pundit. Son Richie had big shoes to fill when he first took up darts as a youngster. ‘Richie Rich’ made history when he qualified for the 2013 BDO World Championship, as the Georges became the first father-and-son duo to play at the Lakeside. Dad Bobby said to the BBC at the time: "He has not got there because he is my son, he has got to where he is because of his hands and his darts." Richie, then 23 years old, would enjoy a dream debut run to the semi-finals and would go on to make a couple of appearances in the Grand Slam of Darts, when the PDC still invited BDO players. Rod Harrington and Ryan Harrington If you ever wanted a darts example of big shoes to fill, the Harringtons is a good place to look. Rod Harrington won back-to-back World Matchplay titles in 1998 and 1999 and had two year-plus long runs as the world number one in the PDC during the mid-to-late 90s and into the early 00s. After emerging onto the scene by winning the 1991 World Masters, where he beat Phil Taylor in the final, Rod would be part of a group of players that broke away from the BDO a few years later to form the World Darts Council (WDC), which later became the PDC. Rod reached the PDC World Championship final in 1995, and was runner-up in the inaugural World Grand Prix in 1998, and would remain on the circuit until his retirement in 2007. His involvement in the sport continued after his playing days, both as a commentator on Sky Sports and a director of the PDC up until fully retiring in 2022. Son Ryan showed his own potential as a player by winning a Development Tour title in 2011, followed by a tournament victory on the Challenge Tour six years later. Ryan joined the PDC circuit as a tour card holder in 2018, with his breakthrough run coming a year later when he qualified for the 2019 Grand Slam of Darts. Watched on by dad Rod, who was still working for Sky Sports at the time, Ryan made it through the group stages before losing to Dave Chisnall in the last 16. Raymond Smith and Ky Smith Australia’s Raymond Smith and Ky Smith wrote their name into the darts record books when they both qualified for the 2021/22 PDC World Championship. The Smiths became the first father and son to play in the same World Championship, after qualifying on the same weekend. Son Ky won the Oceanic Masters and the next day his dad Raymond followed in his footsteps by winning the DPA Satellite Finals to secure his spot at Alexandra Palace. For the ‘Guru’ Raymond, it was a third World Championship appearance, having played at Lakeside in 2017 and then Alexandra Palace two years later. The 2021/22 campaign would prove to be a memorable one, not just for the father and son connection, as Raymond beat Jamie Hughes, Devon Petersen and Florian Hempel to make the last 16, where he was edged out 4-3 by Mervyn King. A victory over King would have seen Raymond move into the top 64 on the PDC Order of Merit, earning him a PDC tour card through just prize money won at Alexandra Palace. Son Ky’s World Championship debut ended in a first-round defeat, but he would emulate his dad again by qualifying for the Lakeside last year. Ky’s victory in the 2023 South Australian Classic earned him a debut in the WDF’s premier event, as the Smiths joined a shortlist of just three father and son duos to have both played in a World Championship at the Lakeside. Wayne Weening and Brandon Weening The 2024 WDF World Championships saw not one, but two, Australian father and son duos join the shortlist to have played on the Lakeside stage. A day after Ky Smith had followed in his dad Raymond’s footsteps, it was the turn of Brandon Weening to emulate his father Wayne and make his Lakeside bow. Wayne’s first appearance at the Lakeside was back in 1989, and would be the first of seven BDO World Championship campaigns, the last being in 1998. Wayne’s best World Championship run came in 1993 when he made the quarter-finals, with the highlight being a 3-2 victory over the fourth seed Rod Harrington in the first round. Dad Wayne tasted success while representing Australia, winning the 1991 WDF World Cup Pairs and 1992 WDF Pacific Cup Pairs events alongside Keith Sullivan. Son Brandon would earn a Lakeside debut of his own in 2024, with a flurry of WDF-ranking titles won Down Under seeing him qualify as the fourth seed. Brandon got his campaign under way with a 3-1 victory over Japan’s Jun Matsuda, before losing 3-0 to the eventual champion Shane McGuirk in the last 16. After winning his first game, the 26-year-old said: “I never got to experience him (Wayne) playing on the Lakeside stage 35 years ago, but he gets to enjoy that 35 years later with me playing.” ‘The Python’ stayed in the UK after his Lakeside campaign to compete at UK Q-School, where he agonisingly missed out on a PDC tour card on legs difference. Steve Brown and John Brown Bristol’s Steve Brown and John Brown are the most recent father and son pairing to have held PDC tour cards at the same time. Dad Steve made the first of his six appearances in the PDC World Championship in the 2007/08 tournament, before going on to play in prestigious events like the World Matchplay and World Grand Prix a few years later. Steve won his maiden PDC senior title with a victory in the UK Open Qualifiers in 2011, the same year he would break into the top 32 in the world rankings for the first time. After losing his tour card status at the end of 2015, it would be five years before Steve would regain his tour card, finishing 10th on the UK Q-School Order of Merit in 2020 to earn another two years on the professional circuit. A year later dad Steve was joined by his son John, who bagged a tour card of his own at UK Q-School in 2021. Speaking to the PDC, Steve said: "I always thought he would become a professional at some point, but I never thought I would still be on tour when he achieved it.” The pair would not draw each other during the 2021/22 season, but in the UK Open dad Steve was infamously timed out from his second-round tie against Scott Waites as he was distracted by following his son John’s match. John, then 22 years old at the time, would catch the eye with a run to the fifth round that weekend. James Richardson and Josh Richardson Rushden’s darting duo James Richardson and Josh Richardson made history when they both pulled on the England shirt at the 2023 British Internationals. Dad James and son Josh had been selected to play for England and were the first father and son to play darts in the same England team. It was a successful tournament for the Richardsons as they were part of an England side that won the men’s title. James emerged onto the PDC scene when he won a tour card on the first day of the inaugural Q-School back in 2011. At the end of that year, ‘Ruthless’ would cause one of the biggest shocks in PDC World Championship history, knocking out the five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld 3-0 in the first round. After watching his son Josh win the BDO World Youth Championship at Lakeside in 2016, dad James won back his PDC tour card a few weeks later at Q-School, and would later enjoy his best run at Alexandra Palace with a run to the last 16 in the 2017/18 tournament. After James lost his tour card again at the end of 2019, his son Josh secured his spot on the ProTour after winning a tour card at UK Q-School at the start of 2024. Before Josh joined the PDC tour, the Richardsons both competed in the 2023 UK Open, with Josh qualifying via the Development Tour rankings and James as a Riley’s qualifier. Like father, like son As you can see from our list above, darts can be a family tradition that is passed down from generation to generation, with several father and son duos enjoying their own success on the oche. Father’s Day is just around the corner in the UK (Sunday 15th June) and playing darts is a great way for dad’s and their sons and daughters to create lasting memories and strengthen the father-son or father-daughter bond. Shop our Father’s Day Gifts collection for a wide range of suitable darts-related presents to buy this Father’s Day. Our Father’s Day Gift Guide also has a hand-picked selection of darts gift ideas to suit any budget and every level of player. Pictures: PDC Alex Moss is a content creator for Darts Corner and the co-host of the Weekly Dartscast podcast. Alex co-founded the Weekly Dartscast in 2017 and has helped produce 400+ episodes of the podcast, with their list of previous guests on the show a who’s who in the world of darts. Alex also writes content for the Darts Corner blog, including the weekly darts news round-ups and how-to guides.
